Hikers, soldiers and outdoorsmen often carry extremely heavy backpacks and other equipment into the field. A backpack or harness that properly distributes a load will slow exhaustion and improve the endurance of a user. The user's waist can support more weight than their back. Some backpacks take advantage of this by using a frame to transfer weight from a user's back to their waist. These frames have significant drawbacks that make them unsuitable to today's users.
These frames limit a user's mobility because they lack any articulation. The frames are typically made of solid metallic members lacking any flexibility or articulation in any joints.
The frames are not easily adjusted, which may reduce their ability to transfer weight from a user's back to their waist. A pack may come with a single size frame with no ability to customize the size or fit of the frame for a user.
The frames also transfer all the impact force of the up and down motion of the pack to the user through the solid frame.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device with a sufficient amount of adjustment and articulation to comfortably and efficiently transfer weight to a user's waist.